Playing with Fire
by Anonymous-Dragon
Summary: Charon is just your typical ghoul, toiling away at the Ninth Circle. Until one fateful morning, as fire falls from the sky, a girl that isn't your typical smoothskin shows and burns his time up. *This is set in the Fallout 3 Game. I categorized it in Fantasy due to a huge detail I threw in that is clearly not affiliated in the Fallout Universe.*


Earl was not fresh off from the Citadel as a Knight for the Brotherhood of Steel. Countless encounters with the Capital Wasteland's mutated abominations: Super Mutants, Feral Ghouls, Slavers, hell, even the occasional Molerat, had not so much as made the man flinch during his years of service at his post near the Washington Monument. In fact, a typical day was usually dealt with drawn out card games to himself as he scanned the area around him with shrewd eyes. Today, a few swigs from his whiskey bottle is what kept him company.

His day had so far been rather droll. Once or twice he spotted the ghoul sentry making her rounds outside of the Museum of History. He always cringed inwardly when his eyes landed on her; if they were ever human, that time had long been since gone.

_"Do you guys see this?! Are you guys getting this?!"_ A frantic voice blurted in his internal headset. Earl took another swig from his bottle, shaking his head. Carl, unlike himself, was a newbie to the typical nuisances he was plagued with. More than likely, a couple of Super Mutants were having a brawl-out inside their trenches again. _"Holy shit! Earl, er, Sir!"_

Earl sighed, pressing two fingers to his helmet. "What is it, Carl?" He snapped. "A couple of ghouls taking a piss on the Monument?"

_"Sir! Look, just above the Memorial! Unknown object flying through our airspace!"_

_A U.F.O, really kid?_ Earl shook his head, but looked outside his post nonetheless. His eyes widened as his brain tried to compute what he was seeing. "Holy Mother of God."

Fire streaked across the sky as debris from the incoming object rained down upon the Capital. An early sunset bathed in flames and ash swept across the sky and blotted out the sun as clouds turned bright red and orange.

_"What the fuck is that!?"_ Earl barely registered the voice practically screaming in his ear. His mouth hung open in disbelief at the sight he was witnessing.

* * *

Willow stomped out her cigarette as the sky suddenly turned dark. Turning her gaze upwards, she still had to shield her eyes from the brightness in the sky. Every instinct in her body told her to flee from what she was seeing.

A bright ball of fire sent from hell fell from the heavens and made a course for the radiated waterway behind the Washington Monument. Willow urged her feet to move, to run, but no such command was followed. The giant ball writhed as it crashed into the water with deafening sound. Willow gasped as the ground shook. The giant ball was alive.

"Please help us…" Fervent whispers of rushed prayers suddenly crossed her mind as she armed herself and made to the door of the History of Museum. An ear deafening roar echoed across the lobby as she hurriedly shut the doors behind her. The last sight of the outside world showed whirls of flames reducing Super Mutants to ash.

* * *

_"Can you repeat that last transmission?"_ The voice was somehow eerily calm to Earl as he ducked from view. His ears pulsed with blood as he set his fingers to his power helmet. Whatever calm resolve he had before two minutes ago was gone.

"YOU TELL LYONS WE GOT A FUCKING-"

_"If you can speak slowly and calmly into-"_

"HOLY SHIT, WE NEED BACKUP IMMEDIA-"

_"Screaming incoherently will not help us, please-"_

**"WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP AND SEND UNITS-"**

The Brotherhood Knight ceased his screaming as a roar drowned out all other sound, shaking his body to its core. A massive white head glittered in the steam and sent water droplets flying through the air. Maws of fire began to torrent through the sky as the enormous creature walked forward towards the Monument. Fire engulfed everything before the creature.

_Ohshitohfuckohgodsavemefuckfuckfuck._ Earl stood frozen as drops of water splashed off his power armor. For a split moment, the sky had parted and the sun sent rays of light upon the droplets of water, casting small rainbows of color.

The beast walked over him, seemingly ignoring his presence. A small trickle of warm fluid ran down his leg as more droplets of water rained down over him.

_I never thought death would come this way._ Earl closed his eyes as a wave of fire was then sent forth upon him.

* * *

Charon seemingly perked up dramatically as sounds of screaming and panic filled the concourse of Underworld. The days had been so agonizingly slow for him in the last few…decades. A glance to Ahzrukhal was all that was needed before he was set free to be lost in precious moments of violence. A small nod was sent his way.

Charon could barely contain the smile tugging at his lips as he rushed through the door and beheld the scene before him. A very distressed Willow was sitting on a bench, surrounded by a few as they pressed her for details on the intruder. Others had to taken to running and hiding as her story spread. Confusion filled Charon's thoughts as his finger itched to pull the trigger. Where was the enemy?

"Where?!" Charon was standing before Willow, confused as to why her and Cerebrus were not already dealing with the threat. Willow took deep breaths to steady herself, she was clearly shaken. It was something Charon had not witnessed before; he did not take the ghoulette as the easily intimidated type. Whatever she had seen, must've been out of her league.

"No. Not this one." Willow held his eyes as she trembled in fear. "I-I do not know what it is…but I think we're safe in here…"

Charon shook his head. "Talon? Mutants? The Brotherhood? Encla-"

"None of them." Willow cut him off as he tilted his head.

"This…thing. It came from the sky…fire was everywhere." Her voice cracked.

Cerebrus barked orders for everyone to take cover as he readied himself by the door, weapons drawn out. Most of the residents had cleared the concourse as Charon made a path to the door. Willows words of caution flew past him as he his body began to shake. It wasn't from fear, however, it was from excitement.

Carefully scanning the lobby before exiting fully, Charon had Cerebrus hold his position behind the door. Crouching, the large ghoul made his way through the abandoned lobby cautiously as he came to the large doors leading to the outside world. Already, he heard sounds of mutants and gunfire. An unfamiliar roar made his skin prickle.

With agonizing slowness, the door leading to the Museum of History was opened as Charon took in sights of smoldering ash and blue sky. Deftly, he quickly exited and kept his weapon raised for signs of threats.

"Orwirebhrjk!" A super mutant flew through the air, missing a leg and bleeding in sprays as it bounced off against the monument and landed near the metro entrance. After a few moments of twitching, the mutant laid still.

The smell of smoke filled Charon's nostrils as he swiveled his head back and forth in search for the creature responsible.

Flames danced across the Mall as possible enemies of all sorts ran in a panicked frenzy to hide. A large gleam of white caught Charon's peripheral. Looking back to the waterway behind the Washington Monument, the sight he took in made his heart flutter erratically. Blinking twice to ensure he wasn't seeing things, he rationally questioned if he had somehow come under the influence of drugs earlier. _No, this is real._

The white dragon roared as it made it's way into the water. Charon peeked around the corner for a better view, noticing the Memorial was covered in fire and smoke. A dragon had literally set the Capital on fire.

A bright flash of white made him cover his eyes. Tears welled in the corners as he hurriedly blinked them away. _I **must** be on drugs._ The dragon had disappeared, leaving only large ripples in the water as its indication of existence.

Minutes passed as Charon waited. Perhaps it was a trick. More minutes ticked by. No? Illusion? Can dragons travel space? Time? Did the large reptilian fucker somehow acquire a large enough stealth boy?!

Charon exhaled sharply through his nostrils as he walked forward. Giving a look around for other enemies, he almost laughed to himself. The entire Mall was empty save for himself and the burning Monuments. This was perhaps the safest time for him to be roaming around the Mall now.

A small splash of water made him jump, aiming the barrel of his gun automatically as he waited with bated breath. A small form of white led the path of his bullet towards his end of the waterway. He again blinked in doubt. _A smoothskin?_

The girl hurriedly fled from the water and skittered across the way to an abandoned building. She kept her head down and made her way into a door. Charon paused for a moment.

Ahzrukhal and the others had no idea of the situation outside. They were most likely waiting on him to return with good news and, above all, an explanation. Charon would walk in and declare a dragon had done this to D.C., which had also mysteriously disappeared into thin air after declaring so much death and chaos. Willow would be no help providing claim to his statement; she only saw fire and blood.

And now, a young girl had just crossed his path, adding further to the mystery. Charon was to provide answers, and so, answers he would receive.

Making sure to keep his profile low in case someone else was watching, the ghoul strode quickly and followed the trail of water droplets the girl had left behind. Opening the door quietly and quickly, it took his eyes a few moments to adjust. Instantly, his instincts began to scream at him to run.

A small scuffle and the sound of a garbage tin knocked over sent his reflexes into action. Aim, assess, then fire. He aimed at the small figure trying to hide beneath the desk away from his field of vision. A quick assessment for being a threat took place.

His finger never hit the trigger.

"Are…are you here to kill me?" The voice asked softly. Charon didn't lower his weapon as the girl looked past the barrel of the combat shotgun pointed menacingly at her face. "I don't blame you."

"Who are you?" Charon growled. The small figure made no move to run away from him, but her eyes held small traces of fear.

"Who are you?" She countered, almost in a whisper.

Charon blinked. Nobody asked him for his name. Nobody cared. "Get up." He motioned.

The girl slowly rose from underneath the desk, subconsciously hiding her body. A quiet curse emitted from the ghoul as he realized she was still unclothed. He holstered his weapon.

"Wait here…" Moments later, he returned with a tattered pair of shorts he found conveniently and threw them to her, along with his leather jacket. "Put this on."

The girl complied and covered herself as modestly as she could, noticing Charon's discomfort. She tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear.

"Now what?" The girl asked in the same, soft voice. For the briefest of moments, Charon hesitated. _Now what indeed?_ All that was left to him was no explanation on today's events, a dragon that had disappeared into nothing, and a naked girl that had showed up from nowhere, that was somehow connected to his dragon incident. He almost sighed in frustration. Staying back at the bar would've been the easiest route.

Charon turned to the door. Without a word, he left the girl standing in the dingy room as he marched straight back to Underworld. The girl, after all, was not his issue. She could get somewhere relatively…no. Actually, in her condition, she would be eaten by the first Radroach to cross her path. And if she was connected to his dragon, well, good riddance.

Guilt suddenly filled Charon as he became aware that his feet had stopped moving. She _would_ be easy prey for Radroaches, the Waste was full of them. And that's just an oversized insect. There was no telling what would happen if she came across Ferals, Mutants…Slavers. A pretty half-naked girl, walking the Wastes with that velvet voice and attractive face would be the perfect target for a Slaver. Her skin was so smooth and soft…

Charon looked down to a Brotherhood Knight covered in nothing but melted power armor and black soot, his flesh charred away. He grunted.

An uneasy feeling of being watched made him turn around quickly, ready to grab his shotgun. The girl who had captivated his thoughts stood a few feet behind him, clearly unsure of where to go. He didn't realize she had been following him the entire time, waiting on him.

"Umm…" She bit her lip.

Charon reevaluated her in the open sunlight as the bright sun cast down golden rays through the clouds. Her hair was long and seemingly dark from being soaked, falling behind her face in a disheveled state. She was rather slender in size, and perhaps average height for a smoothskin. Goosebumps traveled along her exposed flesh from the cold air and wet water dripping down her legs. He noted how attractive she looked in his jacket, even though it was rather large for her size.

Charon's head went slightly dizzy from looking into her eyes as they made eye contact. Crystal blue eyes captivated his own as they implored each other with uncertainty. Without realizing, he had begun to walk towards her until he was but a few feet from her. He halted his actions immediately upon realizing he was so close.

The girl's head went up and down slowly as she took in their height of difference. The top of her skull came to his chest. She hugged the jacket closer to her and whispered something unintelligible to him.

"What?" Charon muttered. Snapping her head up, the girl gave a small sneeze.

"I said, where are we going?" She was oblivious to the fact he had left her on purpose.

"Not we. Go back where you came from." A wave of hurt washed over her face as Charon's tone was nothing but curt. Sticking her chin out stubbornly, she refused to walk away from his intimidating stance.

"I'm not some dog."

Charon crossed his arms. "You're right. A dog would have better sense to scram." He turned and forced himself to walk away. The sound of bare feet slapping against the pavement made him sigh.

"You won't like where I'm going, kid." He called over his shoulder. A slight wave of tension and anger crept into his tone as thoughts of his employer leapt to mind. "Underworld ain't no place for a smoothskin."

"Underworld?" The voice inquired. Silence emenated between the two as they walked the short distance back to the Museum of History. Fire danced and crackled beside them; as though it was just another day in the Mall for two companions on a stroll.

Charon released another sigh as the girl followed behind him through the big doors. Noticing she crept closer to him, he tried to wave her away from being so close, but she mistook his intention and held his hand in her own. He gave a grumble of displeasure, but didn't shake her off. Her small hand was radiating with comfortable heat.

"How old are you?" His eyebrow raised as she looked in awe to the remnants of the dinosaurs laying to rest. They came to a halt behind the massive double doors leading to Underworld.

"Twenty-one." Her eyes met his again. "You?"

"Charon."

"Huh?" She cocked her head in question. "Is that an age?"

He scratched the back of his head, muttering to himself. "My name; it's Charon."

Bright blue eyes lit up enthusiastically as a wide smile flooded him with warmth and tingling sensations. "I'm Soel."

He nodded, sub-consciously gripping her hand and pulling her closer to himself as he led her inside to the Underworld Concourse.


End file.
